Syria is officially the most dangerous place on earth for the world’s healthcare workers.

More than 800 healthcare workers have been killed in the six-yearold war in Syria. NPR recently reported a study which shows Syria to be the most dangerous place on earth for the world’s healthcare workers. The work was published in the March edition of The Lancet, a British medical journal. “The conflict in Syria presents new and unprecedented challenges that undermine the principles and practice of medical neutrality in armed conflict. With direct and repeated targeting of health workers, health facilities, and ambulances, Syria has become the most dangerous place on earth for healthcare providers,” according to the research, conducted by Dr. Samer Jabbour of the American University in Beirut. The war in Syria has resulted in 814 verifiable deaths of healthcare workers; the dead include doctors, nurses, medics, and dental and pharmacy students. What’s more, an official count is virtually impossible, says Dr. Jabbour. “The study goes to print and ‘boom’ you hear about another health worker killed,” says Jabbour. “We should not accept this situation.”

1199 Magazine | March/April 2017